NISKU, Alta. – Wild Rose Agricultural Producers wants government to proceed cautiously before any changes are made to the Canadian Wheat Board.
The future of the board must be a farmer decision, not a government edict, said delegates at the Alberta’s annual meeting in Nisku Jan. 11.
“If producers are going to make that decision, they need to be very well educated on exactly what the wheat board is and how it operates and the environment in which they operate,” said WRAP president Bill Dobson said.
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However, if the majority of western producers want to get rid of the board, he can live with the decision.
Delegates passed a resolution saying the board’s future should be determined through farmer plebiscite. The approach to change differed among delegates.
Hartmann Nagel said it should be one person, one vote, while others supported weighted ballots if it goes to a plebiscite.
Andrew Peden said voters should be actual producers so absentee landlords with permit books do not sway the vote.
Alan Holt opposed the resolution.
“The Alberta government held a plebiscite on the issue and talked with groups to word the ballot. The plebiscite was so confusing in its finality if you voted yes, it meant no and vice versa,” he said.
Peden felt the process was undemocratic and suggested farmers should elect directors who share their opinions if they want change.
Canadian Federation of Agriculture president Bob Friesen supported WRAP’s stance.
He said the wheat board empowers farmers so they are not competing against each other in the larger marketplace.
The wheat board is an associate member of CFA.
“Farmer empowerment is not about other countries telling us how to market our product,” he said. “The (World Trade Organization) certainly should not be in the position to tell us whether we can have a Canadian Wheat Board. That has got to be a farmers’ choice.”
However, Alberta agriculture minister Doug Horner was adamant in his desire for major changes. A restructured wheat board could be transformed into a new generation co-operative such as Australia is trying.
Horner said he wants producer opinion to restructure the agency but he wants it to happen sooner rather than later.
“The faster we can start talking about it openly, and the opportunities it presents, frankly, the better off we’re going to be,” Horner told reporters.
He told delegates that single desk selling inhibits more value-added processing coming to Alberta because processors do not want to have to rely on a single source of supply.
